February 9, 2020

5^th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

The Dynamics of a Salty Disciple

Msgr. Thomas Gervasio

Our Lord often used simple and powerful images to convey his lessons. Today he speaks of salt. It is something we take for granted today. But in the ancient world, salt [in Latin, Sal] was highly valued because it was used not only as a seasoning but as a preservative, as a disinfectant, and even in religious rites. One of the main reasons the ancient Romans built extensive roads was to facilitate the transporting of salt. In fact in Rome today there is a long road called the Via Salaria that was used to bring salt [Sal] from the port of Ostia to Rome. Salt was so highly valued that it was often used as a currency. Roman soldiers were paid in part with salt. This is the origin of the word, salary.
 
In what sense does the Lord mean that his disciples should be salt in the world? I think we would have to see that salt does three things.
 
Salt is a seasoning. Just as salt enhances and brings out the flavor of food, so the Lord wants us to sprinkle our relationships, and indeed our culture, with the “salt” of his teaching. We should bring into our world the essence, the flavor of Christ.
 
There are many ways we do this but I’d like to point out the importance of joy. Our Lord said, “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” St. Paul lists joy among the fruits of the Holy Spirit. St. Augustine said that for the Christian, joy is a duty.
 
Christian joy is not so much based on emotion as it is on the firm belief that I am loved by God, that he never abandons me no matter what may befall me. If I am convinced of this truth, then I can be joyful since I know that even when my little boat is tossed about in a stormy sea, the Lord is in the boat. Joy can be a witness that attracts others to faith. It is indispensable to the work of evangelization.
 
Salt is also a preservative. It is used to cure and preserve meat. One of the urgent tasks of a disciple is to work hard to preserve all that is good and true for our society. A disciple has the courage to promote the morals and virtues of the Christian life even when these are misunderstood or even scorned. This is especially urgent today on the civil level, when religious freedom and the right and dignity of human life are attacked.
 
Because we so often fail to raise our voices to defend life and religious freedom, laws are passed that chip away at those fundamental values that we claim to cherish. How important it is to study the issues and the candidates who say they want to represent us, before we cast our ballots at election time.
 
Finally we can say salt heals. In the ancient world, salt was used on wounds. It helped to stop bleeding, killed bacteria, and prevented further infection. So too, we must strive to heal the wounds of sin and division among us—jealousy, anger, bitterness, retribution, infidelity, and greed. We must work for reconciliation. We must use the measure of mercy rather than harshness in our relationships. Pope Francis reminded us that people need “more healing than judgement” and how we can judge others so quickly and so severely!
 
Today let us pray that the Lord will grant us the grace to be salt which is flavors our life and society with joy, salt that preserves what is good and true and seeks to heal the wounds of life.